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Houston Baptist gets 2 years probation for NCAA violations
HOUSTON (AP) The NCAA handed Houston Baptist's football program two years of probation Friday along with a public reprimand and recruiting penalties after coach Vic Shealy failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance by creating his own student host program.
Shealy asked his daughter to be a student host and she enlisted members of her sorority to be hosts and provide campus tours for prospects, the NCAA said. The program didn't work under the university's regular campus visit policy for host groups, which is against NCAA rules.
Houston Baptist is a Football Championship Subdivision team that plays in the Southland Conference. Shealy has coached the team since its inception in 2013.
The probation runs through Jan. 18, 2020. Shealy will also be restricted from engaging in face-to-face recruiting visits with prospects and their families for the first week of the contact period in the next two years. The school must also limit its official football visits to 26 in each of the two years of probation.
The university added several self-imposed penalties, including a reduction in the number of coaches participating in off-campus evaluations and reducing the total number of evaluation days. Shealy's recruiting activity will be reduced by two weeks this spring.
